The Sodor Engines' Union
by Marshal Davout
Summary: The disgruntled Engines form a Labor Union. Read about all the decisions they force on the Fat Controller. Now rated T for profaniTy. This story is done, but its Sequel, "Hail to the Chief," has only just begun.
1. Chapter 1

The Engines of Sodor were overworked and full of complaints. Edward wanted an overhaul. Henry wanted special coal. James wanted to be repainted. Gordon wanted not to pull trucks. Percy wanted his own trains. Duck wanted a branchline. Bear wanted more time in front of the cameras. The true story of how they achieved this remains secret, until now. They got their way by forming a Labor Union.

The idea first flew into Thomas's funnel. He wondered what the Fat Controller would do if none of his engines would work. He then realized this would be a viable threat. He talked to Duck, who talked to Donald and Douglas, who talked to James, who talked to Gordon, who talked to Henry, who talked to Edward, who talked to BoCo, who talked to Bear. Soon, every Engine of the Island was in-they were going to go on strike on August 7th.

On the 7th, the Fat Controller noticed that none of his Engines were showing up for their trains. So he went to Tidmouth sheds.

"We're going on Strike," said Henry

"We won't work until you accept our terms," continued Gordon

So Fatty drove to Edward and BoCo's shed. They explained

"We're also going on Strike," said Edward

"We won't work until you accept our terms," continued BoCo

Soon, he realized that no Engine would work until he gave in to their terms, so he ran up to Edward to listen to the terms.

"I'll get back to you within 2 business days with the terms," announced Edward, and headed to Tidmouth to consult.

"We need to formulate our terms, so Fatty knows what to give us," he explained

"Let's make sure that in the future, we won't need to strike to get our way," said Henry, "let's form a Union and make him give it Executive power"

Percy didn't understand any of that, but he was drowned out by sounds of approval.

"We must form a cabinet," said Bear, "we need a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Management Relations Director."

"I want to be the President," said Thomas, "I'm the most useful Engine."

"I should be the President," said Gordon, somewhat more loudly, "I have very powerful connections and a lot of experience"

"I want Edward to be the President," said Percy, "he's the wisest of us all"

"I don't want to be the President," said Edward.

It was put up to a vote among the union members, and by a vote of 6-5, with 3 abstaining, Gordon was elected President of the Union, despite his excessive Bombast.

The election for Vice-President boiled down to Henry, James, and Thomas. Thomas won by a division of 5-3-3, with 3 abstaining (at this point it was suspected that Bill and Ben were asleep, and that Percy did not know how to vote)

Next was the Director of Management Relations. Although James wanted the job, Edward was talked into it, since he was, in the words of the ever-so-pompous Gordon, "the best speaker of us all." The vote was 11-1, with 2 abstaining (at this point Bill and Ben were audibly snoring, but at least Percy learned how to vote).

Next was the position of Treasurer. Henry and Bear, both of whom have good attention to detail, ran for the position. By a vote of 6-6, with Bill and Ben abstaining, it was declared a tie and broken by the Presidential vote being cast for Henry.

The Secretary race was deeply contested. There were 4 candidates: Duck, James, Donald and Douglas on a rotational, and Toby all ran. After a preliminary round resulted in 4 votes each for Duck and the Scots, 3 for Toby, and 1 for James, James dropped out and a revote occurred. This time, Donald and Douglas managed to gain James' vote, as well as Bill and Ben, who finally awoke from their slumber, putting them at a count of 7, with Duck having 4 and Toby 3. The newly-elected Secretaries collected everyone's demands for Fatty, while the Treasurer ordered Takeout Chinese Coal for the whole group. Then, the board rolled off to formulate their terms in a proper letter, and Bear and James collaborated on drafting a Union Constitution.

Soon, the terms were ready, and the Union management returned to the Sheds. Gordon, feeling Presidential, used the Turntable shack as a Podium and spoke:

"The officers will take their stations and the union will come to Order!" he boomed, while using his whistle as a makeshift gavel.

"Sergeant-at-Arms, Montague," he called to Duck, who he picked to stand watch

"Mr. President," answered the Great Western Engine

"Are all present members of our union or guests?"

"Mr. President, all present are members of our Union or Guests"

"My fellow Engines, I now declare this meeting of the Engines' Union of Sodor open for business. Vice-President, inform the Sergeant-at-arms!"

"Is there a motion on the floor?" boomed Gordon, with another "tap" of his "gavel."

Several Engines whistled

"I recognize Mr. Donald and Mr. Douglas."

"We move that the following terms, as drafted by the board, be accepted," said Donald.

Douglas began to read: "The terms are as follows:

We, the Engines of the North Western Railway, seeing that we have been treated unequally, and seeking a guarantee of fair treatment, do hereby demand:

That the Board of the Engines' Union of Sodor be recognized as an executive entity with power over the Controller of the Railway.

That the Treasurer of the Engines' Union of Sodor be allocated a budget of no less than 10% of the Railway's revenues every month.

That no Engine may be scrapped, sold for scrap, or transported for scrap on Railway equipment

That Engines designed for Passenger hauling not be used for Freight

That any Engine may demand an inspection within a 24-hour notice, and any repairs be funded in no more than 10% by the Union

That any Engine may be provided with the option of receiving at least one repainting every month, on the expense of the Railway

That any Branch lines be staffed by an independent team of Engines, particularly with regards to the Arlesburgh Branch

That any new Engines be compelled to join the Union

That any Engine so qualified must be provided with at least one regular train service every month

That the hiring of a new director must be approved by a ⅗ majority vote of the Union Board

That a violation of any of the above will allow the board of the Union to seek to remove the current Controller"

Gordon whistled again. "Is there a second?"

"Second!" yelled James

"Call for Acclimation?" asked Gordon

"Call!" yelled Henry

"Is there any dissent? Dissent? Dissent?" asked Gordon, while making a full spin on the turntable. "Seeing and hearing none, the Motion clearly passes."

"Yee!" squealed Percy

The next day, Gordon and Edward provided the Fat Controller with their Terms, which he reluctantly accepted. Since then, the Union has made decisions for many years


	2. Chapter 2

Spencer was around, and he was up to no good. He was blocking the lines, offending everyone even more than Gordon, and generally causing confusion and delay. The Fat Controller wouldn't do anything about it because he was friends with the Duke and Duchess.

Edward, as the Director of Management Relations, came to the office.

"Sir," he said, "Spencer is causing too much trouble. You must make him leave."

"No," yelled Fatty, "you must learn to work with Spencer."

Edward brought the matter up with Henry, who sympathised, and Gordon, who vehemently agreed. He also talked about it with Thomas, who eloquently said, "we can only put up with one Gresley, and Gordon happens to be the useful one."

After opening Business, where Percy mumbled through the Sergeant-at-Arms portion and Donald slurred his words, Gordon asked a valuable question.

"Is there a motion on the Table?" he asked. "I recognize Henry

Henry began to read the motion he drafted with Edward in the Yards that afternoon: "Seeing as Spencer, the private Engine of the Duke and Duchess of Boxford, has been disruptive to the well-being of the Engines and operation of the railway,

Seeing as his duties could easily be filled by operations of NWR Engines,

Be it moved that Spencer be forbidden from running on the tracks of the North Western Railway."

"Is there a second?" Gordon called out

"I second this motion!" called out Edward

"Is there a call?" Gordon continued

"Call!" answered Bear

"Is there any dissent?"

"I dissent on the grounds that I think he deserves another chance to be useful" said Thomas.

"We will now be moving into questions to intent," Gordon announced.

"Is the intent of this motion to make Gordon the fastest Engine on the Island again?" asked Thomas

"Absolutely not" answered Henry indignantly.

"Stop covering for him!" whined Thomas

"Tap Thomas," said Gordon. "Further questions?"

"Is the intent of this motion to ensure a smoother flow or traffic or better qualify of life for the mainline engines?" Duck asked.

"The former leads to the latter, but the former is very definitely the intent," Henry responded.

"We will now be moving into questions!" Gordon announced

"What will the Duke and Duchess of Boxford do for their transport?" asked James.

Henry explained: "They will simply charter a train from the Railway, or use an existing railway train. Spencer will be allowed to run within such train, but not with his fire going or his brake pipes connected."

Thomas: "Isn't that demeaning to Spencer?"

Henry: "It's a necessity, much as we dislike of it."

Thomas: "I swear to god this is Gordon in an Ego match"

Gordon, barely bottling up his rage: "Tap Thomas"

Thomas: "Appeal to the decision of the chair"

Gordon: "Is there a second?"

*no response*

Gordon: "The Appeal fails"

Gordon: "Are there any more questions?"

No questions

Gordon: "Are there any amendments"

Gordon: "Discussion will be a moderated caucus. Hit your voting button if you wish to make a point."

Gordon called on Edward to begin, to be followed by Thomas, and then Henry.

Edward: "I believe Spencer is disruptive to everything and it is our duty to make this tough call, even if the Fat Controller won't"

Thomas: "Spencer just feels a need to prove himself, and Gordon's attitude towards faster engines isn't constructive."

Henry: "This 'Gordon feels inferior' crap is baseless. And the fact is that Spencer causes trains to have to wait by running at his whim, then breaking down or running out of water on the hill"

Everyone laughed loudly at the last bit, especially Gordon, who rapped the gavel twice after regaining composure.

Gordon: "We shall now move into a vote."

By a vote of 7 yes, 3 no, and 5 abstaining, Spencer was kicked out.

The next day, Edward went to the Fat Controller.

"Sir, " he said, "you have to remove Spencer"

"I do not and I will not. This is my railway and I will run it as I know best to do."

Enter Donald and Douglas with the new decision on a flatbed

Fatty almost cried, "You're taking over my railway!"

"We're terribly sorry sir, but Spencer had to go" Edward apologized, before running off to his train.

That Afternoon, Henry had to move Spencer from the Duke and Duchess of Boxford's private spur to the Vicarstown Bridge, followed by James with the Duke and Duchess. Spencer spouted off:

"You slowpokes! Just because I'm faster and better doesn't give you the right to kick me out!"

"You disrupt the flow of traffic on the mainline, that's reason enough!"

"This is just Gordon being jealous, isn't it?"

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is!"

"No, it isn't!"

"Stop arguing, you!" James cried out.

"We're not arguing, we're just contradicting each other!" Answered Henry, who was feeling a bit


	3. Chapter 3

As part of his job as treasurer, Henry reviewed the budget of the Railway. One day he noticed that the Fat Controller doubled his own salary, from 250,000 pounds to 500,000. This, Henry thought, was outrageous. He talked about it with Edward and Gordon, and they formulated a plan. They would force Fatty to lower his Salary back down to 250,000, and pay the Board of the Union salaries-40,000 for the President, 30,000 for all others, and the remaining 50,000 distributed between all members.

After the usual opening ceremony tedium, Gordon called on Henry

"Seeing as the Fat Controller has given himself an unreasonable raise, be it moved that the 250,000 pounds he had given himself be instead distributed as follows:

40,000 for the Union President

30,000 for each Union Board Member

50,000 total to be distributed to all Union Members"

Immediately Thomas yelled "Objection to Consideration!"

When Gordon asked for Grounds, he got: "This is a biased motion, written to benefit the officers and not the members! You're biased!"

After a tap, Gordon called to vote.

The Objection failed, with 2 in favor, 12 against, and 2 abstaining (Donald and Douglas were too drunk to vote).

Thomas contained his anger, but continued to resist vocally.

Eventually he seeked to amend the motion so that all the money would be given to the members. With a division of 6-7-3 (yes-no-abstain format), it failed. Soon enough, the motion was passed, despite Thomas's principled yet vocal opposition.

Immediately after it was passed, Thomas moved to repeal, and was torpedoed by Henry's objection to consideration.

Promptly the time for reports came. Reports were speeches delivered by members. Donald and Douglas gave a report about why Scotch is better than Vodka. Henry spoke about the underappreciated beauty of nature. Edward spoke of far-away lands and the adventures of his youth.

Thomas, on the other hand, brought up a more heated topic. He argued that the management, both Gordon and the Fat Controller, are corrupt. That both seek to exploit the Engines' desire for usefulness to their wicked benefit. He claimed that this raise is just another in a series of atrocities.

Gordon proceeded to retort. He listed all the sacrifices he's made, the specials that ended up going to James and Bear, the Sleepless Nights, etc.

After this firestorm, Edward went to the Fat Controller alone, before talking to BoCo.

"Those two should never have been elected to work together." Boco said, "one must eventually resign"

Edward said he agreed, then pretended to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Thomas handed his resignation to Edward, knowing himself to be too angry to talk to Gordon. Edward formally handed it in for Thomas, then went with Gordon to speak in Knapford yards.

"As your Vice President," Edward opened, "I feel obligated to say that you should make amends with Thomas"

"What amends?" Gordon scoffed: "I have not wronged him. He's sore about losing President."

"It's been months! This is something deeper"

"He's bitter about me being the grander Engine!"

Gordon steamed off.

That evening, mailers were distributed about a special Election for VP. Henry and James submitted candidacy, and each began to carry a large banner. Bear and Emily also prepared a campaign for Treasurer, which Henry would vacate if he wins VP.

Henry and James both mounted Smear campaigns. Henry brought up the Bootlace incident, and James smeared Henry over the tunnel incident.

Soon, Election Day came, and they stepped up to speak.

James opened:

"My fellow Engines, we need a firm leader. A leader that will not back away in fear. We need someone fast and furious to stick it to our foes. The leader we need stands before you."

Cue Henry

"What we need is a steady leader. A leader who is willing to get down-and-dirty, but still get a smooth ride. You need someone who can hold his own. That is me"

The rest of the speeches were boring, except for Duck's question:

"Assume Gordon is on the mainland, and an Engine disappeared, and you look for him, and then you derail, and when you wake up, you're on the tracks in an abandoned mine, and there's a ninja pig on your funnel. What do you do?"

James gave an answer full of bravado, but Henry simply said: "If only I had a funnel" joking about how short his funnel is.

After all ballots were cast, it was announced that by a vote of 6-5-5, with all the usual people plus Thomas abstaining, Henry is now Vice-President. Thomas very noticeably neglected to shake his hand.

The election for Treasurer was not very interesting, with Emily, James, and Bear all giving pretty plain speeches, but ultimately Emily won with a 5-4-4 vote with 3 abstentions (The Scots voted for once). Promptly the vote was over, and most people were celebrating, except for Gordon and Edward. Both were worried about Thomas, but tried not to let on.


	5. Chapter 5

Gordon wanted to apologize to Thomas. He didn't WANT to, but he knew it was necessary. The problem: Thomas made sure they never meet. Thomas coerced Percy into pulling Annie and Clarabel on runs that met the Express. He pulled slow goods trains on lines that bypass Knapford Station, going through the Harbor. He slept at the far edge of his Branch line. To be brief, he was inaccessible to a big Tender Engine like Gordon.

Gordon thought it out, before realizing he needn't be a Tender Engine. The fact that he didn't have a driver left much empty space to fill with coal and a Water tank. Gordon went to the works on a free evening and demanded to be fitted with a temporary Tank and Bunker. Victor, who was going to have to rebuild Gordon's rear section completely anyway soon, agreed to the bizarre request. At night, Gordon steamed out as a Tank Engine.

As he climbed Thomas's branch line, Gordon was enjoying the sensation. Not having a Tender was actually liberating (his only other Tenderless experiences were accidents), and he quite enjoyed exploring the branchline.

On the way, he found a Red signal. Then, a guard approached him.

"Gordon, the Ffarquhar shed collapsed. We need someone to bring the Breakdown Train up the line. You now fit the bill. Please go and get it."

"I'll do that", Gordon answered. He realized that this would further improve his standing with Thomas, and was most pleased.

Gordon backed up, a much more enjoyable experience without a Tender, and got the Breakdown train. When he arrived at Ffarquhar, he found that Percy was on his side and Thomas has slid off the edge. Thomas was in a field, inside a pile of cow Manure. The cranes got to work lifting the wreckage of the shed out, and got Percy up. Percy was too shocked to comment on Gordon's lack of Tender. Thomas came later. A road of slippers was put down, reminiscent of the one put under Gordon in the ditch incident, and soon the bigger Blue Engine was hauling out his little colleague.

Thomas was then loaded on a flatbed, since his wheels were jammed by the excrement. Gordon soon opened his mouth, but Thomas was surprised at what came out. It was not "You smell like shit because you are shit". Rather, it was "I'm sorry for being a dick to you for all these years". Thomas was speechless. "I got a Bunker fitted so I could come up here and apologize".

Now Thomas was blushing, but managed to say: "I forgive you". Gordon was pleased, and shunted him to the works while heading for his own overhaul.


	6. Chapter 6

Gordon was in the works for several weeks while his boiler was being fitted, so Henry was acting President of the Union. After his first opening, in which he stumbled over the words, Henry oversaw a silly meeting. The Scots weren't the only ones with Whiskey in their water, so craziness was inevitable. First, Duck made a "motion to commotion," which is essentially a recess. Henry wanted to get work done, so he threw it out, provoking a prolonged appeal. Soon, it had turned out that James cooked Naan in his firebox. This in itself was OK by Henry, until he found out that there was none for him. Emily tried to get approval for funding for buying new trucks, but everyone was too loud. After a healthy round of taps, Henry got some silence.

"Seeing as the Trucks are the #1 source of accidents, be it moved that the Railway be compelled to replace 10% of them within the month, and all others within 5 years. Be it also moved that all old-stock trucks have their brakes refitted with an off-lock switch within a year."

"Is there a second?" Henry asked.

"Second!" Arthur shouted

"Is there a call?"

"Ring!" Percy answered

"Is there any dissent? Dissent? Dissent?" Henry asked, "Seeing and hearing none, the motion clearly passes"

The rowdiness returned. By the end, Henry has dealt 50 taps, kicking 5 engines out of the meeting. He vowed he would have the next meeting at Crovan's so Gordon may preside and support him. Such had happened. Gordon's harshness, which the Engines had expected, got them to shut up. A motion was passed for the provision of new Monogrammed Tenders for all the Engines that had those, and coats of paint for the rest. For Gordon, this was to be a 2nd (Canteen) Tender. Another one called for one Water Tank to be designated as a bar on Saturday nights, and failed. Yet another motion, which called for the rebuilding of Knapford sheds, was passed.

At Report time, things were much less intense than before, but hardly cal.

Donald criticized the lack of ways for him to get buzzed.

Emily talked about an American drink called Mountain Dew:

"It is fizzing piss. It looks exactly like piss, it doesn't smell too amazing, and it tastes like piss. It's piss."

Edward spoke about the rise in profanity, and said that it should be restrained, evoking a "fuck no" from James.

Henry dropped a bomb:

"I can't have you disrespect me. You guys think that when Gordon's in charge you must behave, but when he leaves you can fuck around. That is utterly disrespectful. I expect you guys to take me more seriously in the future."

Gordon spoke about the temporary conversion, and how it was fun but he'd never redo it, and about how naked he still feels when his boiler is being replaced even after going through so many changes.

Thomas delivered a member report:

"The Ffarquhar sheds collapsed the other day, and somehow I got flung into a pile of shit in the field behind it. So I'm inside a huge pile of shit, and I suddenly realize, that it's fresh shit. So I scream, because I realize it's probably in my firebox and everything, and that makes me fall into deeper shit. And then Gordon shows up with the breakdown train and I'm like: 'how the fuck is he going to get out?', and then I realize that Gordon has been converted into a Tank Engine somehow. His cab got a tank and a makeshift bunker, and he was running as a Tank Engine. So he cleans up the shed, and then he drags me out, and I'm still in disbelief about the shit so I don't bother him about his Tender. And all the way down the cranes are bitching: 'there's shit in our flatbed. There's shit in our flatbed.' And I wanted to be like: 'bitch, shut the fuck up' but my Smokebox was jammed with shit so I couldn't talk."

Percy spoke about how he doesn't know what 'fuck' and 'shit' mean. Thomas explained it in the corner, and Percy became a much more profane Engine.


	7. The Engines Rebel, Part 1

After this temporary stint of calm, things heated up. The Fat Controller retired, and his son, William Topham Hatt, rose to control. William was an asshole. He assigned the Engines jobs they could not do, so he could laugh when they fail. Gordon was the yards shunter at Tidmouth. Percy pulled the Express. Henry ran Thomas' Branch Line. Edward pulled the Kipper. James worked the dump. The Engines were fed up.

After conducting opening ceremonies, Gordon immediately moved to a report by James.

"We can't keep this up. Percy breaks down with the Express, Henry cannot be carried by Thomas' line. Gordon has bullets hitting his buffers when he shunts. We must strike. Mr. President, I request a strike."

Given the overwhelming support for the strike, Gordon rapped his gavel thrice.

"I proclaim a General Strike. No one is to leave their sheds unless specifically permitted or ordered to by me. We shall demand that William Topham Hatt step down as Controller, and be replaced by someone elected by us."

With huge cries of support, the Engines came into their sheds.

The next morning, Belle and Arthur shoved Fish wagons into the levers of the Vicarstown Bridge. Edward and BoCo filled the tracks of Brendam Docks with empty Trucks. Duck and Thomas did the same at Knapford, and Monty and Henry did it at Tidmouth. James talked to the Tunnel electrics about a full cessation of work, which they accepted, in exchange for a raise. Gordon had the hardest job, convincing Connor and Caitlin to stay still.

"Greetings Caitlin, Connor," he said in a forced cheerfulness as he rolled into Ulfstead Castle. "We're going on Strike, since we're being abused. I'm here to ask you to join us.

"Sure," said Connor, "as long as you race us after it's done."

"Deal. Now you'll both have to stay in a Shed. You can pick which. Wellsworth, Vicarstown, Knapford, and Tidmouth all have spots."

They went to Vicarstown, to Gordon's great disdain, since he would have to keep Caitlin tied up.

"Can we race? Please?" she asked

"We're on strike, Caitlin," Belle would explain gently, "no moving at all."

"Surely it won't do any harm, we're not pulling any trains."

"Fine," Gordon muttered, "I'll race you to Crovan's Gate and back"

"Yes!" Caitlin exclaimed, and began to speed out of the Yards.

Thomas, Percy, and Toby were very bored.

"I spy with my little eye something Blue," Percy said.

"Sky," Thomas answered, "I spy with my little eye something White."

"Clouds. Let's play something else, like 'shunt the truck'"

"Percy, that qualifies as work."

"I'm tired of striking"

"So let's sabotage the railway."

"Don't" Toby said, but was ignored. The Tank Engines pushed Trucks off hills, broke boards in mines, and blocked several tracks with cars loaded with manure. Promptly, they returned to the Sheds, quite content.

"I'm bored," James yawned.

"Same," Henry yawned.

"Bored," Monty Yawned

"Let's block some tracks," said Henry

"I'm in" chimed the other big Engines.

They took oil tankers and put them on the platforms at the big stations, leaving only one clear, and informing everyone of it. They shunted some fertilizer cars near Hatt's office. They put Goods vans with near-jammed brakes on the tracks leading into the Little Western. They even blockaded the Duke and Duchess' summer house, in case Spencer was to be airlifted in. Content, they returned.

"Honey," Belle said, "I'm bored."

"Let's blockade the Crosstown Bridge."

They did just that. Blockading the Crosstown Bridge, the Vicarstown bypass, and many other positions throughout their area. Arthur's line also got thoroughly blockaded, and so was Ballahoo jail. This made them content for a while.

That evening, Gordon met Hatt in Vicarstown Sheds.

"We will end the strike if you resign in favor of me." Gordon said

"You?! You?! You're an Engine!"

"Read the Articles of Incorporation, will you? Convene the Board at Crovan's Gate tomorrow at 1900hrs."


	8. The Engines Rebel, Part 2

Now came step 2 of Gordon's plan, the sinister one. He was going to convince a majority of Board Members to support him.

First, he went to the Earl. "Now wouldn't it just be wonderful if you could have a proper link to Peel and Harwick? Think of the possibilities! A night in Ulfstead castle, followed by a cruise! "

"I do like that idea."

"Now if I was CEO, I'd rebuild the MSR and make it reality. Such a shame Hatt disagrees with us."

He spoke with the CEO of Sodor Air.

"It's such a shame Hatt doesn't listen to me about a proper Air-Train to the mainline and insists on the inefficient shuttle train." he said.

He spoke with shareholders, from the Harwick&Tidmouth Cruise Lines, to Bombardier, to Norramby resort, to the Wellsworth Development Fund, promising various things, before getting to Mr. Percival.

"Good Evening, Sir" he said.

"Hello, Gordon. Are you ending the strike soon?"

"In time. Anyhow, I have come by some pictures which I am certain you would not wish to have released."

"What Pictures?!"

"These," Gordon showed pictures of mold in Skarloey railway carriages, goods being mishandled, and Mr. Percival with a hooker.

"Now if I were CEO of the NWR, I'd have to leak these, would I?" Gordon asked rhetorically.

"I'll make the offer myself, just don't release the photos." Mr. Percival pleaded

"We have a bargain."

Gordon promptly held a vote for CEO among the Engines, which he won by promising Thomas considerable kickbacks.


	9. The Engines Rebel, Part 3

The shareholders convened at Crovan's Gate. They all wore their nicest suits and ties. Topham Hatt IV came too, with a plan for modernizing the railway.

"I motion to replace the current Chief Executive Officer with Gordon, employee #4, designated leader of the Union" Mr. Percival said.

"Seconded!" came the Earl

"Call to acclimation," the Bombardier Rep boomed.

"Dissent!" cried Sir Topham Hatt III.

"Gordon is a hard worker, a leader, and will be liked by the Engines. He has whipped them in line before. It's also going to draw some better publicity that we treat our Engines as equal." said one Dark-suited man.

"He's going to insist on having Shunters around, and not using Passenger Engines for freight." said another.

"That's how every other railway runs." added a third, "the current Hatt is clearly not viable, and after him maybe an orderly, conservative CEO is needed."

"Speaking of Conservative," stuttered a 4th, "should we really give such political clout to an Engine? A railway controller's endorsement routinely picks our MPs."

"Better than any of us," butted in a 5th, "many of us are in bed with politicians." he nodded at another Man.

"I like him for the job," a Woman in a suit added, "his replacement in the Union will probably have far less gravitas."

"Well, we do need to weaken the union," conceded the 2nd man.

"I disagree," said Sir Topham Hatt III, "my son is simply young. With some guidance, he will control himself. There is no need to kick the Hatt's out of the rail industries."

"If you'll excuse me, Sir," said Edward, as the Union liaison, "your son will always have a job on the Railway. Gordon is not averse to tradition."

"Fair enough," said Hatt III, "but Gordon is hardly the most cool-headed Engine in the Sheds."

"Perhaps," spoke another man, "what we need is a strong figure, even if he is not cool-headed. Churchill was not cold and distant, after all."

"Gordon is no Churchill," said another, "but he is probably a solid choice for appeasing the Union."

The decision was made, and Gordon was summoned in.

"You have been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the North Western Railway." Hatt III informed him.

"Who, me?" Gordon feigned surprise, "Sir, I'm honored."

"I expect you to read on the rights and responsibilities, and run the railway well."

"Will do, sir!"


	10. Hail to the Chief Preview

Gordon entered the Fat Controller's office. As he looked around, a gentle piano could be heard. Gordon then approached the Fat Controller's… no, HIS desk, as operatic vocalization could be heard. Then, he rapped on it twice with his buffers.

Hail to the Chief, a new Fanfic by me


End file.
